Protect your garden in style
Keep your green thumb efforts intact and add some flair to your garden by bordering it with a strong, attractive fence. A fence helps protect your plants from pests and erosion and further defines and decorates your outdoor space. In some cases, your garden fence can even offer more infrastructure for plants to grow on. Not sure where to start? Take a look through these garden fence ideas to get your wheels turning.
A white fence is a visually appealing border that can enclose your entire yard or section off a separate garden area. Use a white picket or wooden fence to increase curb appeal for various styles of homes ranging from colonial to cape cods to tudors. White picket fences can be made from vinyl or wood and provide a crisp, clean look when used as part of your fence design.
This fence works best to enclose heartier plants and bushes that animals aren’t attracted to. Consider planting climbing roses or brightly-colored hydrangeas to provide a beautiful contrast, or add non-flowering hedges to provide visual depth and a second layer of protection.
If you’re looking for vegetable garden fence ideas, you most likely are trying to keep out unwanted wildlife. Section off your yard using plastic netting and metal posts to give separate areas of your yard designated uses. This type of fence can easily be installed in a few days and is a cost-effective option. Using plastic netting and posts can keep small critters at bay, protecting your vegetable patch from nibbling.
Wrap chicken wire around wooden posts for a simple way to fence in a standalone garden, like this compost bin full of lawn clippings and kitchen scraps for the creation of rich soil. You can also use chicken wire to separate standalone vegetable patches, flower beds, or herb gardens to protect your plants from wildlife.
Use wooden split-rail fencing to add a rustic feel to your yard while also creating a designated border. Split-rail fencing works well in wide open spaces to delineate your property line. Plant wildflowers along the edge to accent the fence.
Horizontal slat fencing can bring a modern look to your garden while adding an element of privacy. Choose a darker wood and add string lights to use in small gardens, townhomes, patios, or contemporary-styled homes. Tall slat fences can create more shade along the edges so they work best for plants that don’t require as much sun like begonias, Burning Hearts, and certain dogwood varieties.
Bring color into your landscape design by painting over a natural wood fence. If you have an existing wooden fence that is fading, you can either stain it or paint it using colors of your choice. Use a vibrant paint scheme against lush shrubs and greenery to add contrast to your yard or plant brightly colorful flowers next to the fence to provide more vibrance.
Natural wooden fencing is a tried-and-true way to section off your garden. Use a tall wood fence with vertical slats for a more traditional look that can give you more privacy. Plant flowers and shrubs next to the fence and contain them with edging for a defined border.
Get creative when thinking of garden fence ideas and repurpose materials you may already have for a cost-effective option. While not a traditional type of fence, using old tires can be a way to border your garden while also integrating plants into the fence design. Stack up tires and then plant shrubs inside the tires to add greenery and color.
Create a border for your flower beds using natural log edging. Opt for a flexible type of edging that allows you to curve the border to fit your spatial needs. Fill in the garden bed with contrasting mulch to make shrubs and flowers pop within your garden.
A wattle fence is one of the oldest types of fencing, using limbs and branches woven together around horizontal posts. This style of fencing is historic and looks authentic in countryside or farmhouse settings. As a DIY project, this type of garden fence is worth the time and effort it takes since you can customize everything about the fence to fit your needs and create a storybook feeling in any space.
for easy access. Build up the fence to keep out small animals and consider enclosing the top to keep out larger animals that jump or climb. Stain natural wood and add iron hardware for a more decorative look.
Wrought iron fencing makes an elegant statement when used in a garden. Because of its high cost, it may not be feasible to use for your entire yard but a good small garden fence idea. If it's within your budget, wrought iron metal fencing is durable and low maintenance. Connect it to a gate to create a sophisticated entryway.
If you like the look of wrought iron but not the price tag, consider an aluminum fence. Aluminum fencing has varied styles and still provides durability and longevity. Choose a black, linear aluminum fence for larger spaces in your yard and garden for a crisp and clean look.
Another small garden fence idea is to use wood pallets to create a fence. Wood pallets are easy to come by (sometimes you can even get them for free) and can be used for multiple purposes in your backyard. You can sand them down and restrain the wood, then attach them together so the slats are horizontal. Hang potted plants from the slats to add a pop of color to your fence design.
An arbor is an upright structure used in a garden to provide shade and privacy while adding a decorative touch. Use this vertical overhang to break up certain areas of your garden or as a visually appealing entryway. Plant climbing roses or even grapes on it and add a gate or bench underneath to provide a designated area to enjoy your garden.
Like an arbor, a pergola adds shade and privacy to your garden. However, they’re made with four posts compared to two and are usually a more permanent structure. Connect a pergola to your garden fence or leave it as a standalone structure and plant climbing flowers up the side and on top. Hang lanterns from the top beams and add a dining set underneath to host memorable garden parties and get-togethers.
Stone can section off areas of your garden and create a cohesive look when built next to or on an existing stone patio. Plant hedges and greenery and add decorative stone statues for a more ornate look. Remember, this may require masonry work and can be difficult to disassemble, so be sure you’re ready to commit to building this type of border.
Brick is a classic material that can withstand the test of time. Like stone, masonry work is most likely required to install but consider using a short brick wall for edging if you don’t want to build an entire wall. Brick can give your outdoor space a neat and well-maintained appearance and looks beautiful with cool-colored flowers and shrubbery to contrast the warm tone of the material.
Using living plants to create a border in your garden is a beautiful way to integrate greenery into your landscape design. Plant short hedges or ornamental flowering bushes to create a path leading to other areas of your yard. Using shorter hedges that run parallel with your flower beds creates defined edging.
Planting taller hedges works well in larger yards and adds privacy while also deterring critters. Use tall hedges next to shorter green bushes for a monochromatic look. Create nooks in the layout of your hedge design and add a bench in a secluded space to relax and unwind.
Create boundaries in your garden without losing your view of all its splendor. These are popular in modern buildings and work especially well if your home has a pool or patio you want to separate from the garden. It can also make your yard appear much larger. Keep in mind that glass installation requires professional help from a local fence company, but glass can go decades without requiring repairs, which should make up for the cost.
Trellis fences are a one-two punch for the garden because they separate sections while providing infrastructure for even more plants and flowers. Use a low-level trellis if you want to see above the fence and across the garden or a higher trellis that can accommodate tall climbing plants, like vines.
Bamboo is known for being a strong manufacturing material, and this applies to its use in outdoor landscaping, too. You can make a short retaining wall by cutting bamboo stalks to a uniform length (or buying them pre-cut) and lining them up along a garden bed or border. Tie them together with rope and make sure to pull tight. The best part of a bamboo fence is how easy it is to curve around corners and make custom shapes with each individually placed stalk.
If your garden is part of a larger property, you may need to install a wide gate, whether it’s for a car, lawnmower, or livestock. If so, add a double fence gate to your garden, which consists of two panels that swing open from the center. That way, you’re not constricting your property, and you still get to enjoy the benefits of your fence.
A lattice fence checks the boxes of style and function. This popular pattern of interlaced wood can create a fence of any length. It creates clear borders in your yard with plenty of visibility so you can enjoy a view of your garden from every angle or grow plants to climb through its openings for more privacy. Lattice will keep out garden pests, like squirrels and rabbits. Installing this kind of fence is an easy DIY project for those that feel comfortable with a set of tools.
Bring your fence to life with plants arranged in vertical stacks akin to a living wall. There are many ways to do this, including screwing hooks to a fence and hanging pots from them. You’ll need to make sure your pots aren’t too heavy, and that your fence material can carry the weight added by the soil. The best part of a living garden is that it provides the privacy and security of a fence while improving the plant life—and the beauty—of your garden.
Sometimes fences don’t need to be manmade structures. If privacy is what you’re after, there are plenty of trees and shrubs that can do the job while improving the environment by filtering out CO2. Plant trees or hedges that form a uniform, unbroken border wherever you need a fence, or go for a more sporadic look and enjoy the additional greenery along with the privacy it creates.
Turn your garden fence into a work of art by painting a mural on it. This project is ideal for wooden fences since they’re a perfect canvas for all kinds of paint. Use bright colors to liven up your garden or illustrate a scene that’s meaningful to you. It’s your garden, after all!
You can create many different looks and achieve many different functions with a rope fence. Add some subtle flair to your garden with one or two lines of rope spanning between wooden posts. Or, if you need a stronger fence to keep critters out, go for a rope mesh that spans the entire space between posts. Think of rope fencing as more of a guardrail, and choose the type of rope that will achieve the look you want—weathered, nautical, or any option you like.
Whatever type of fence you choose, including greenery in its design helps create a cohesive look alongside your garden’s lush foliage. Add pops of color and new texture by setting up hanging plants in a uniform row along the fence, either in box planters that hang over its side or hanging baskets resting on hooks.
Caroline Gilbert contributed to this article.
In terms of materials, chicken wire mesh will be the most inexpensive option to use when building your fence. The downside is that it’s not the most attractive garden fence option. In a similar vein, you could choose a DIY fence made out of repurposed items, like car tires, or wooden pallets, either of which would be free to collect.
The height of your garden fence depends on your goals and priorities. Do you need to keep rabbits out? Then you’ll need at least two feet in height to do so. Is it more of a privacy fence? For that, you’ll want to construct something at least 7 feet tall so that there’s little chance anyone can see over the fence. Some garden fences are purely decorative, in which case the height is up to you.
Vegetable gardens can easily become a convenient food bank for your local animal population, whether it’s squirrels stealing fruit or rabbits munching on freshly grown veggies. If you want to keep those critters out, it helps to put a fence around your vegetable garden that’s at least a couple of feet tall to deter any animals from getting past it. Just make sure your fence doesn’t interrupt the amount of sunlight your garden needs to thrive.
The distance between fence posts is guided by the terrain you’re installing them on, the purpose of the fence, and the material it’s made of. For the average wooden garden fence, posts should be about 6 to 8 inches apart. But if you’re going with a mesh, wire, lattice, or chain link fence, you could set the fence posts anywhere from 6 to 25 feet apart.
